Posts by DNCall

46

Can somebody explain the songs and songbook obsession?

by careful in

i've been out a while and have only put in a rare appearance at a memorial or brief visit at a convention/assembly to keep people off my back, so i haven't kept up on the songbook.

but one thing i've noticed that the org.

has been doing that they never did when i was in is all these "supplemental songs" that keep appearing.

DNCall

Having worked in the music department for 20 years, from 1986 to 2006, I can say that all of your responses are correct and show excellent deductive skills.

The only thing I can add is to reinforce that David Splane is the game changer. His approach was well received among the music people, as we had been clamoring for music to play a more prominent role as an emotional vehicle for some time. Other factors are that one of the professional arrangers used on occasion suggested adding new songs to see what the reaction would be. Any song that was a "hit" with the r&f would be considered for inclusion in the next book. The lead musician has long been of the opinion that group singing has always been a healthy pastime, and although not practiced as much in modern times, should be revived.

What have always stifled the creativity and quality a number of the musicians are capable of, are the restrictions imposed by and musical taste of the GB. So long as the GB signs off on the finished product, you are going to have uninspiring, poor-quality music.

As far as connecting with young people, I think the Pew studies show how effective JWs are with this. Kind of like the way George Burns described having sex as a 90-plus-year-old: "It's like shooting pool with a rope."

72

My RC hearing brought forward. Will be in two weeks

by umbertoecho in

through this forum of wonderful freaks, i have met someone who is coming with me to my hearing.

initially i was slated for next year, but will be attending in two weeks time.

all is in place from travel vouchers, support, where to go ............very efficient and well done.

DNCall

I think Bafh's list is succinct and stays within the issue at hand. The only thing I could think of in addition to Bafh's list is that trained women within each congregation be used to inquire of and counsel female victims. These specially-trained women should be made known to the congregation so that female victims may approach them with their accounts of abuse.

I also believe that revoking their tax exempt status will act as a strong incentive for Watchtower to comply with the mandated policy changes. Historically and from testimony given by Witness representatives, it is clear that Watchtower does not make policy changes mandated by outside authority. It is a matter of religious principle with them. This calls for the type of drastic measure that revoking their tax exempt status would be.

4

Just Saw "Spotlight"

by DNCall in

we just returned from seeing spotlight and really enjoyed it.

the film is based on the account of the boston globes expose of the systemic problem of pedophilia within the catholic archdiocese of boston.

the end crawl of the movie documents the prevalence of this problem in archdioceses worldwide that have come to light since that time in the early 2000s..

DNCall

We just returned from seeing “Spotlight” and really enjoyed it. The film is based on the account of the Boston Globe’s expose of the systemic problem of pedophilia within the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The end crawl of the movie documents the prevalence of this problem in archdioceses worldwide that have come to light since that time in the early 2000s.

Of course, the scale is much, much smaller within Jehovah’s Witnesses, but one thought from the movie especially resonated with me. It put forth the idea of a conspiracy of silence growing out of priests knowing that a high percentage of them violated their vows of celibacy through, among other things, pedophilia. This idea speaks to the psychology behind a conspiracy of silence such that it’s not just about protecting the image of the Church. There is a personal component that drives it.

This rang true to me, knowing as we do that there is knowledge among the Governing Body of similar abhorrent sins by its own members. Although there is no celibacy doctrine to obey, there is the expectation that the Governing Body of the One True Religion be “unspotted, unblemished.” Knowing that this has not been the case fosters a culture of silence from the top down.

I should point out that I am not just accepting anecdotal evidence of this level of sin among the Governing Body. When I was serving as an elder, in the course of conversation, a sister in our congregation volunteered that her younger brother was molested by a member of the Governing Body back when they were members of the same congregation in Brooklyn. The Governing Body at the time dismissed their fellow member but he remained in good standing, serving as a Special Pioneer outside of Bethel.

As of now, we have heard “conspiracy of silence” applied to cases of pedophilia among Jehovah’s Witnesses in court documents and in transcripts from the Australian Royal Commission proceedings. I think a personal component driving the conspiracy of silence has merit. What do you think?

44

Decrease of numbers in Jehovah's Witnesses via Deaths, DFings, or Turning Inactive

by flipper in

jw
friends

so i'm sure a good number of us saw the chart that i believe the poster splash put on another thread of figures since 1990 regarding how many baptized and % of increase each year .

i started analyzing it ( and i know some referred to it briefly on the other thread ) and guessing of reasons the % of increase didn't match the number of newly baptized.

and of course common sense tells us that either jw's leave the cult each year through death, fading into inactivity, or getting dfed.

DNCall

Coded Logic: It took me a moment grasp your point but I think I understand you. It has to do with those newly baptized already being counted as unbaptized publishers. So, if you subtract the increase in publishers from the total of newly baptized, the remainder would be those who were allowed to be baptized without first being unbaptized publishers. Is that correct?

16

Crazy things said by Higher Rank Witnesses

by GrownMidget in

it was the week when circuit overseer comes and my relatives wanted to offer the food.

i had got my school friend, a muslim girl, going into the meetings and she actually progressed and went to the field service, but never got baptized and one day she just disappeared.well anyway, this overseer comes for the free lunch and then when we are sitting in the table with his wife and my relatives, the muslim girl comes as the subject.

overseer throws out this absurd asshole joke that because their family doesn't like witnesses his father will come with a truck and drives it through the kingdom hall wall and then it explodes.

DNCall

VI: I remember that being at the L.A. Sports Arena. ?? Knorr was there too. He borrowed my songbook. Never got it back.

47

Suicide or Real Freedom? - My Story As One Of Jehovah's Witnesses

by dubstepped in

"sometimes i think the only thing i could do that wouldn't upset someone would be to kill myself.".

those were the frustrated words of my friend as we stood out in his large yard in the country, just about to enjoy a nice bonfire on a beautiful night.

what was it that could have been a lesser evil than killing himself?

DNCall

You have been up against so many things your entire life. Congratulations for enduring it all and conquering. Congratulations to Jenny as well. You both are so deserving of (and unless you've been a Witness or a hostage or critically ill, you wouldn't understand) normalcy. I wish you every success.

47

Taking bets on how long this cult will last and what will happen to it

by macys in

i wanna make a poll here.

how many years do you think the jdub cult will exist as is and what will happen to it?.

i say the growth stops this year and starts to decline.

DNCall

First let me say, You Rock! The first post I read of yours said, "Jesus was gay. True story." Really funny, and since reading a number of your other posts, I appreciate your positive approach to life.

On topic, I think the stage is set for a significant collapse of the organization. The only thing that has been cited that may keep the organization going is that some people will always need what they're selling. I see this eroding along with everything else that has sustained the organization's existence. Maybe not at the same rate as the other things, but erosion nonetheless. Scandal, decades of wrongheaded business management, brain-drain at the top and an unsustainable theology will change it forever--and maybe even end it. At the rate it is going, ten years seems like a reasonable time frame for all of this to take place.

31

Hello everyone! I am new here and want to tell you about myself - my bio

by Hollywood20 in

jw
friends

grew up in east la in a bad neighborhood to a black mother and white father.

i never knew my father because he died in a car accident when i was a few weeks old.

my mother converted as a jw soon after when two sisters came to her door and offered her comfort, which was something she needed.

DNCall

Hi Hollywood, and welcome. It has been my experience and also my observation as a musician, that if you suppress your gifts it never fails to hurt you at some point. For the most part, I have stayed active in the music business, even during the 50 years that I was a JW. Like the others, I would suggest you try to salvage the opportunity you had several years ago if that is possible. You describe it as a "once in a lifetime opportunity." Maybe it was. But don't let it be your only opportunity. I recently heard a saying that struck me as being so true: "Successful people have had many more failures than less successful people." Both in my life and in the lives of people I have known who have been famously successful, this has been the case.

I live not far from you. If I can be of any encouragement along these lines, please private message me.

Wishing you all the best.

3

Singing Kingdom Songs - Volume 2 (2005) : truth or legend?

by neat blue dog in

ok, pretty much all of us have heard some of the 10 track cancelled album featuring george benson and others, the most popular track of which is probably "we must be holy" with the celine dion soundalike.

not much is known about it, but i always assumed it was just a george benson nonprofit hobby project.

tonight, however, i read a post from user dncall who says he regularly contributed to wt music projects, including co-composing the soundtrack to jehovah's witnesses stand firm against nazi assault.

DNCall

I stand by everything I've said on this subject. I may be the only one who was involved in this project that has left the organization, so it may be difficult to have independent verification of my accounts. The YouTube clip above is neither Song 7, nor was it sung by George Benson or Sheila Hutchinson. Celine Dion had nothing to do with this project. With all the misinformation that has been circulated over the years, I am the last person you would want to doubt.

1

"Standing Firm" But For Whom?

by DNCall in

a musician friend of mine had listened to the score i wrote for one of the organizations videos.

i actually split the assignment with another composer who is now in residence in patterson.

i had mentioned to my friend that i was really conflicted while working on this project and she asked me to provide the back-story for my work on jehovahs witnesses stand firm against nazi assault.

DNCall

A musician friend of mine had listened to the score I wrote for one of the organization’s videos. I actually split the assignment with another composer who is now in residence in Patterson. I had mentioned to my friend that I was really conflicted while working on this project and she asked me to provide the back-story for my work on “Jehovah’s Witnesses Stand Firm Against Nazi Assault.” Here is my response in the event this is of interest to any here.

This video was designed as an answer to claims that the Witnesses were trying to win the favor of the Nazi party in the early to mid 1930s. The video did not answer these claims directly, but rather presented accounts of the suffering of the Witnesses in the concentration camps. Unlike other groups, the Witnesses could have been released by simply signing a declaration renouncing their faith. Some did, but most did not.

The director asked to me to use string quartet only, which I thought was a good idea. Instinctively, I composed a Hebraic main theme that would convey the Holocaust setting. I always believed that the word “Holocaust” should only be used regarding the persecution of the Jews during the Second World War. For anything that had to do with the Witnesses, I wrote more German-sounding music. Though I couldn’t quite identify why I felt uncomfortable working on this project then, I now understand why the whole thing did not sit well with me.

The Witness experience during the Second World War was far different from the Jewish experience. In many instances, the Witnesses were assigned to the households of German officers as domestic workers. Even the loss of life suffered by them cannot be compared to that suffered by the Jews. To me, it felt as though this video and its promotion was attempting to elicit the same degree of sympathy as that extended to the Jews.

After I left the cult, I researched the charges against the Witnesses and now believe that the charges are valid. The then President of the group, J.F. Rutherford, had made overtures to Hitler by using anti Semitic language and taking the position that the Witnesses upheld the same lofty principles as the Nazi Party. The Nazis had seized the Witnesses’ property in Magdeburg and Rutherford wanted it back. When Hitler did not comply, Rutherford (who had a mercurial temperament not unlike Hitler’s) launched a campaign against Hitler and the Nazis. He assigned the German Witnesses to distribute his rants throughout the country, knowing the consequences that would befall them. But Rutherford knew well the value of persecution in galvanizing his followers and winning support from outsiders. He had also enjoyed recognition and publicity from inciting opposition to the Witness religion in the past. The Witnesses could have physically signed the declarations while mentally and spiritually holding to their beliefs. Such a deception would have been no different than the smuggling of their literature into the camps or lying regarding the whereabouts of fellow Witnesses. They took pride in having done these things. More importantly, they would be free to continue their “vital” preaching, albeit underground. However, this would not have generated the degree of publicity that formally resisting the Nazis would. To that end, Rutherford tested the German Witnesses' obedience to his directives, under the pretense of obedience and exclusive devotion to God. In reality, he was sacrificing them to gain recognition and publicity for the Witness organization as a whole.